Everyone experiences a certain degree of stress and frustration when beginning a new position. Special education teachers face the same challenges, but they also experience stress related to procedural concerns, resource access and scheduling structures.
Pairing new special education teachers with a high-quality mentor can help to reduce stress and frustration by offering direct and consistent support. Research has shown that the support of strong and responsive mentors increases the likelihood of special education teacher retention. According to the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, mentorship success is based on the quality of the mentor match and the activities completed.
Nebraska administrators are not alone in supporting new special education teachers. The Nebraska Department of Education and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have partnered to create Get SET Nebraska, an induction and mentoring program with a focus on building effective mentoring teams and supportive systems.
Mentoring teams are composed of an administrator, professional level special education teacher (mentor) and early career special education teacher (mentee) who work together and engage in the program for one academic year.
A few of Get SET Nebraska’s supports include:
Mentor-mentee matching documents
- Mentor applications gather experience and background from potential mentors.
- Once potential mentors complete the forms, administrators use workflow documents to match mentors and mentees related to caseload, grade level, content and program-level experience.
- If a match can not be made within the district, the Get SET team supports administrators in locating an external professional match.
Mentor-mentee interaction planning and support
- Get SET Nebraska provides tailored support to new special education teachers.
- An individualized learning plan is created to help special education teachers focus on their specific caseload needs each quarter.
- A mentor guides the new teacher through a self-evaluation using High-Leverage Practices in Special Education, then matches skill-building supports based on where they need it most.
Supported professional development
- Get SET Nebraska includes a High-Leverage Practice (HLP) self-assessment and Individual Learning Plan (ILP) process.
- Mentors guide HLP conversations related to skill-building activities completed throughout the year by the mentee.
- Problem-solving resources and materials are available to mentors to guide mentees through collaboration needs or challenges or needs.
- Nebraska Department of Education special education guidance documents are organized and available to mentors to help increase mentee understanding.
Want to know more?
Contact us today to learn more about Get SET Nebraska and how it supports and empowers special education teachers by leveraging effective mentorship.
Pamela Brezenski, EdD
Project Manager, Get SET Nebraska
pbrezenski@esu13.org
701-578-5704